While camping or spending time outdoors it is, from time to time, necessary to relieve oneself (defecate and/or urinate). In the absence of plumbed toilet facilities, pit toilets, chemical toilets, or similar toilets this task is less comfortable and can pollute the environment with uncontained and untreated waste. Some efforts have been made to provide alternatives for human waste capture, containment, and disposal in rural or wild environments.
For example, United States Published Patent Application No. 20060031982 to Pittman describes a portable personal waste disposal unit. The personal waste disposal unit includes a container having a top surface with a removable cap covering an opening. The opening is oval in shape and leads to an interior of the disposal unit. The container includes a tissue and privacy sheet. The privacy sheet may be used to cover an individual using the personal waste disposal unit. The disposal unit may be sized to fit under an automobile seat. When using the disposal unit, the cap is removed from the top surface, thereby allowing the individual to deposit bodily waste through the opening into the interior. The container is strong enough to hold the weight of an individual. After use, the cap is placed over the opening. The disposal unit may then be discarded as desired by the user.
United States Published Patent Application No. 20060037131 to Payne describes a collapsible portable toilet which includes a chair frame including a built-in foldable seat with a hole, a seat back, four legs and two front wheels, a disposable absorbent fragrant flexible refuse bag extending through the hole in the seat and draped around an outer perimeter of the seat, the refuse bag attached to an underside of the seat, a roof support frame comprising parallel telescoping vertical rods extending from a rear of the seat and attached to the seat back, a roof comprising parallel rods connected to a top of the roof support frame at a pivot point, the roof rotatable at the pivot point to and from a stored position. A bag can be removably attached to a top of the roof having curtain material to be draped around the roof support frame and roof for privacy, the curtain material having reflectors on an outside and in inside pockets.
United States Published Patent Application No. 20010034904 to Phillips describes a disposable waste bag pack for use with a toilet which has a toilet seat and includes a first disposable bag which includes a zip-lock top first bag portion. A second disposable bag includes an expandable second bag top portion and a second bag bottom portion, and the second bag top portion is sized to fit over the toilet seat. Also, the second bag bottom portion is sized to fit into the first disposable bag which extends below the toilet seat. A third disposable bag includes a quantity of toilet paper and a hand wipe package. The third disposable bag and its contents are stored inside the first disposable bag prior to use of the first disposable bag for retaining waste products. A directions sheet is also provided. The second disposable bag includes a pair of pleated side walls. A quantity of waste treating chemicals are contained inside the second disposable bag. The waste treating chemicals include an admixture comprising a powdered gelling agent, a powdered odor neutralizer, and a powdered decay catalyst. member.
United States Published Patent Application No. 20010007934 to Smith describes a portable elimination device including a portable container for receiving human waste products, in particular, urine and fecal matter. In a first embodiment for micturition by males, the device is a cylinder having an outside layer made from a pliable, liquid impermeable plastic and an inside layer made from a soft, absorbent material. The device includes a pair of foldable flaps at the open mouth of the cylinder and a bead and groove seal to close the mouth of the cylinder for disposal after use. In a second embodiment for micturition by females, the device is generally rectangular with rounded corners having an outside layer made from a pliable, liquid impermeable plastic and an inside layer made from a soft, absorbent material. A flap is attached to one end of the outside layer and flexible shroud is attached to an opposing end of the outside layer, so that, after use, the flap is used to fold the device in half and the shroud is pulled over the doubled up layers for disposal. In a third embodiment for receiving solid waste, the device includes an inflatable, cylindrical chamber having a well defined therein. A liquid impermeable plastic bag is placed over the chamber, the bottom of the bag having a layer of absorbent material chemically treated to reduce odor being disposed in the bottom of the well, the mouth of the bag being retained to the outer wall of the chamber by fabric hook-and-loop fastening material. After use, the bag is tied for disposal.
A portable toilet is also described online at www dot outbackpack dot corn (hyperlinks herein have been disabled and are not intended to be active, pursuant to USPTO policy). A seat is formed of double wall corrugated paperboard, with wall panels and a top having a hole. The toilet is deployed by unfolding and positioning the panels, and a waste bag is placed under the hole in the top of the seat. Toilet paper can be mounted on a side panel using double-sided tape.
Some personal portable sanitation systems are described online at www dot whennaturecalls dot corn. Disposable urine bags contain absorbent polymers and enzymes that will absorb urine. A one-way valve prevents spillage. Deodorants are added to the polymers to eliminate odors. Another product discussed is a “bag within a bag”, said to be patented, for containing and neutralizing solid human waste. The outer bag is gas-impervious, and the product includes polymers and deodorizers designed for solid waste. The bag provides a means to pack out solid waste when camping or hiking. It can be used with a commode, or directly on the ground in wilderness situations.
Other aspects of waste management technology, discussed herein or previously known to those of skill in the art, may also be helpful in understanding the present invention.